Top Places To
Visit in Mataram 16 Spots

Next, Kuta beach- all the way to the south of Lombok. I take a pit stop at the famous Pura Meru, but find it disappointing. It is an ancient temple but there is not much that meets the eye. At Kuta, I lodge at one of the many BNB options. Kuta boasts of some beautiful beaches scattered across its arch including the secret pink beach. Exploring Kuta needs about a week and a local guide. Since it was my final night in Lombok, I head to the main Kuta beach to take in the view with sand in my feet. It’s a quiet non-commercial beach with eroding rocks. Over dinner, I met a dozen foreigners who were setting up businesses from teaching yoga to surfing. They were the ones who’d only do what they love. It was a good end to the trip to see this freshness in objective.

Next, Kuta beach- all the way to the south of Lombok. I take a pit stop at the famous Pura Meru, but find it disappointing. It is an ancient temple but there is not much that meets the eye. At Kuta, I lodge at one of the many BNB options. Kuta boasts of some beautiful beaches scattered across its arch including the secret pink beach. Exploring Kuta needs about a week and a local guide. Since it was my final night in Lombok, I head to the main Kuta beach to take in the view with sand in my feet. It’s a quiet non-commercial beach with eroding rocks. Over dinner, I met a dozen foreigners who were setting up businesses from teaching yoga to surfing. They were the ones who’d only do what they love. It was a good end to the trip to see this freshness in objective.

Weekend
Getaways from Mataram

Day 1 – Beaches of South Bali Since Bali’s Denpasar Airport is located in the southern part of the island, it is just but practical to start touring around South Bali first. If you are traveling solo as I always do, you may opt to hire a car or a motorbike to tour around. Southern Bali includes the areas of Denpasar, Jimbaran, Kuta, Legian, Semiyak, Uluwatu, Canggu, Sanur, Tanah Lot and Nusa Dua. However, I have only been to Kuta, Legian, Semiyak, Nusa Dua and Tanah Lot.Read More

Day 1 – Beaches of South Bali Since Bali’s Denpasar Airport is located in the southern part of the island, it is just but practical to start touring around South Bali first. If you are traveling solo as I always do, you may opt to hire a car or a motorbike to tour around. Southern Bali includes the areas of Denpasar, Jimbaran, Kuta, Legian, Semiyak, Uluwatu, Canggu, Sanur, Tanah Lot and Nusa Dua. However, I have only been to Kuta, Legian, Semiyak, Nusa Dua and Tanah Lot.

I originally planned on staying in a hotel in Denpasar, and moving around the island from town to town, to see everything that I wanted to see, however, plans change. I met a Balinese woman in Perth, Erna, who was studying tourism, and she invited me to homestay at her house, and her brother is a driver. This turned out to be a good alternative to another hotel, and her brother drove me around the island for the reasonable sum of $50 a day.Bali has been a tourist destination for Australians since at least the 1970s, but I myself had long avoided visiting the island, due to its perceived young person/drunken vibe, yet time and circumstances suggested that I spend a few days here. To begin with the conclusion—I greatly enjoyed my time in Bali. I swam on some of the beaches, sat and relaxed under a coconut tree, visited many temples, town, and museums, spoke to people, and generally enjoyed myself. My experience was different from the stereotyped image of dipsomaniac beach bums (not that I have anything against beach bums). There is in fact a great deal to do on the island. I can see why people return time and again. Sadly, I was only able to spend four days on Bali. My visa, due to the nautical nature of my arrival, could not be extended.A little bit of background. First, Bali is an island (I am sure that you knew that), located a few kilometres to the east of Java, a province of Indonesia, home to maybe five million people, ~150x80kms in size, with a predominantly Hindu population, unlike most of Indonesia, which is predominantly Muslim. The island has a variety of environments. In the south, Kuta, the beach goers destination. A little to the north is Denpasar, the island’s capital city. The central and northern two thirds of the island still follow the traditional life of rice farms and villages, however, amidst these endless, terraced rice fields you will find more hotels, resorts and tourist spots. These cater to the non-Kuta, non-beach going tourist population.

If you plan to stay in this area for longer, you can visit Denpasar which is located 42.1 km away from this place. Make sure you gorge on some nasi goreng (fried rice), ayam bakar (grilled chicken) and Babi guling (roasted suckling pig), a popular lunchtime special. If you want to treat yourself to western restaurants, Cak Asm has Balinese dishes on the menu. You can soak up some rays on the beaches of Uluwatu and Sanur on the south coast too.

Away from Kuta is Denpasar, the capital city of Bali, and it is a rather sprawling, low rise town, easy to get lost in, but also easy to find your way out of. In itself it is not a tourist destination, being more an assortment of functional streets, but there are a bunch of major sights worth seeing in and around the city. What I liked most about Denpasar is the plethora of small restaurants, many of them vegetarian or at least having a specific and substantial vegetarian menu. Walking around Denpasar is not easy, the footpaths are broken and used by shops to display merchandise. Most locals ride a bike.

Ubud is known as Asia's wellness destination and is a 30-minute drive away from Sunrise House. Framed by rainforests and terraced rice paddies and dotted with Hindu temples and shrines, Ubud is the prime example of Bali's most famous landscapes. While here, enjoy a performance of the traditional Balinese dance of Kecak, walk on the Campuhan Ridge, shop for local handicrafts, visit the Goa Gajah Temple and the Monkey Forest. To know more about what you can do in Ubud, read this.Read More

Ubud is known as Asia's wellness destination and is a 30-minute drive away from Sunrise House. Framed by rainforests and terraced rice paddies and dotted with Hindu temples and shrines, Ubud is the prime example of Bali's most famous landscapes. While here, enjoy a performance of the traditional Balinese dance of Kecak, walk on the Campuhan Ridge, shop for local handicrafts, visit the Goa Gajah Temple and the Monkey Forest. To know more about what you can do in Ubud, read this.

Ubud is a small town in central Bali that is rightly called its cultural heart. It is far removed from the nightlife of southern Bali and has the ideal temperature for a relaxing holiday! Full of culture and enhanced by magnificent vistas, Ubud offers a respite from the humdrum of our busy lives. After all the excess partying in Bali, the central highlands of Ubud offer some serious body and soul therapy.

Ubud The overall pace and feel of the holiday was average till we reached Ubud. The place has world class resorts and we stayed at Sens Hotel and Spa, primarily cause of its proximity to the Ubud Market Center (Its advisable to stay near Market Center since there’s no public transport in Ubud and hotels generally have limited shuttle service, making you feel stranded). The hotel is a 4* property but we were again disappointed with food.Ubud was also crowded like Legian and Seminyak , but the charming Cafes , Quirky Shops &amp; Zen Houses in the middle of the market street can win anybody’s heart over .You can pick up Bali bands , Dream Catchers , wooden carvings ,Paintings, decorative Items,clothes and other souvenirs from the Ubud Central Market.

Mt.Batur (1717 meters) is the most active volcano in Bali. This trek starts at 2 AM and if you sign up with a tour, they will pick you up from your hotel in Ubud. The drive from Ubud to Kintamani is around an hour or so and you arrive at 3AM in time to start your hike to the summit. It’s pitch dark and there is a nip in the air. You are freezing from excitement and the biting cold. You sip on hot tea and get your gear ready before your ascent – warm clothing, torch, stick, etc.

Ubud is the heart of cultural Bali that is away from the noise and craziness of Kuta. Interestingly, Central Ubud can be explored by foot without the need of any map, motorbike or a tour guide. A simple walk along Ubud’s streets would make one appreciate the culture of the locals. However, should one intends to see beyond Central Ubud, renting a car or motorbike helps.

The reason I am not covering the temples and rice terraces of Ubud; the lakes of Kintamani and Bedugul; the white sand beaches of south eastern Islands and Gili Islands, the surfing heaven of South Bali is because all these places are beautiful. What makes Bali one of the top holiday destinations is the perfect mix of fun, culture and relaxation. I am trying to cover the best places for party and fun in this island. South Bali is the party capital of the island, dotted with clubs, reggae bars, discotheques and more. Central Bali is very culture drives and just a few bars and clubs, although in some places parties do go on till 3am.

As with most of Asia, it’s pretty easy to eat well here on the cheap. Bali lacks the variety of some other Asian cuisines (like Thai, sigh!) but it does at least have flavour (unlike the food in Vietnam, ahem). The trick to eating cheap is to stay out of the tourist restaurants where prices quickly add up. I once ordered a small mineral water from a slightly pricey restaurant in Ubud and it cost me 30,000rp for a posh branded bottle instead of the 1,500rp it would have cost me in the convenience store for the most popular brand of mineral water here – Aqua. Luckily, it’s easy to find plenty of local warungs (restaurants) even in the most touristy areas. Just follow the locals and you’ll be fine. the most usual options are nasi goreng (fried rice) mie goreng (fried noodles) cap cay (stir fried veg /soup), ayam goreng (fried chicken), padang (choose your own dishes from a selection displayed in the window on an impressively-balanced tower of plates) , bakso (meatball soup), and nasi campur (rice with a nice selection of meat, veg and tofu/Tempe dishes)You could spend a fortune in Bali doing tours but there really is no need. If you’re staying by the beach then you’ve got plenty of entertainment right there. Inland you have rice fields and jungles, great for exploring. There are free and cheap art galleries and museums everywhere. You must visit a few temples when you come here and they are all very cheap to visit as a tourist.

The true Nature & cultural capitol of East Java, Considered to have the best landscapes with mountains, forests & beaches. Very few places can boost of such sight. Here we will be welcomed to a completely different experience. It is said that the traditional dances of Banyuwangi will mesmarise you. We will try & get you a glimpse of the same
Reach Banyuwangi in the morning, Take rest for the day with local sigh seeing, Move to Kawah ijen by evening for a visual spectacles of rising flames & the volcano.
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The true Nature & cultural capitol of East Java, Considered to have the best landscapes with mountains, forests & beaches. Very few places can boost of such sight. Here we will be welcomed to a completely different experience. It is said that the traditional dances of Banyuwangi will mesmarise you. We will try & get you a glimpse of the same
Reach Banyuwangi in the morning, Take rest for the day with local sigh seeing, Move to Kawah ijen by evening for a visual spectacles of rising flames & the volcano.